Editor Lisa White has compiled a decent collection of short essays by leading birders on a wide range of topics. These are articles that will overwhelm a casual birder with extreme detail. They are simple, often humorous takes on making the best of whatever birding experiences you choose to have, starting with the mix of seeds you put in a feeder out back. Each writer tosses in a few hundred words on a different topic. Their advice includes how to be a better observer and note-taker, choosing practical optics, and whether organized tours are right for you.
I watch birds but don’t maintain a life list. That’s my shame as a birder. This book addresses that, too. One of the essays suggests alternate lists for folks not interested in a single, all-encompassing list. It was interesting, but I’ll likely never get around to those either.
Good Birders Don’t Wear White [LibraryThing / WorldCat] was a quick read and one in which the short chapters made it easy to manage a few pages at a time. Most of the essays were enjoyable.
Don’t kick yourself about not keeping a list. A life list says a lot more about how well traveled a person is than it does about how advanced a birder they are. For a casual birder like yourself, I recommend checking out things like eBird where you can just log your sightings whenever you want – no pressure.
Good birding and Happy New Year,
~tim o’connell
Happy New Year to you, too, Tim. Don’t worry. No self-kicking is taking place. I’m content watching birds wherever I may be and seeing new species when serendipity calls. The closest I’ve come to a formal list is the set of bird photographs I’ve slowly compiled. It’s by no means as thorough as a typical list, but lets the sighting linger a bit longer. Happy birding!
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